Attachment assembly for pressure tester



y 1962 G. A. JOHNSON 3,035,436

ATTACHMENT ASSEMBLY FOR PRESSURE TESTER Original Filed Sept. 16, 1959 2sheets sheet 1 GAUGE INVENTOR. GLEN A. JOHNSON BY WWMEZQJ ATTORNEY May22, 1962 G. A. JOHNSON ATTACHMENT ASSEMBLY FOR PRESSURE TESTER OriginalFiled Sept. 16, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Hal FIG. 5

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GLEN A. JOHNSON BY MM! 22 74754 ATTORNEY 3,035,436 ATTACHMENT ASSEMBLYFOR PRESSURE TESTER Glen A. Johnson, Connersville, Ind, assignor toStant Manufacturing Company, Inc., Connersvilie, Ind., a corporation ofIndiana Griginal application Sept. 16, 1959, Ser. No. 840,444. Dividedand this application Mar. 29, 1961, Ser. No. 99,162

8 Claims. (Cl. 7340) This is a division of my copendmg applicationSerial No. 840,444, filed September 16, 1959 for Pressure Tester.

The present invention relates to an attachment assembly for a pressuretester and is primarily concerned with the provision of an improvedassembly for use in testing the fluid tightness of closed vessels orsystems, the pressures under which valved systems will react to relievepressure and the effectiveness and proper calibration of closure capsfor pressure systems.

The tester and attachment of the present disclosure have been designedprimarily for use in connection with pressure type automobile enginecooling systems and the caps therefor; and they have been illustrated,and will be described, in that environment although it will be apparentto those skilled in the art that they may find uses in otherenvironments.

Several different kinds of pressurized cooling systems, designed foroperation under various pressure levels, are currently in use in theautomobiles of various manufacture in the country; and each of themincludes a radiator having a filler neck formed to provide a lip forsecuring engagement by an element of the cap and a closure seat axiallyspaced from that lip. The cap designed for use with any one of thesesystems conventionally includes a resiliently mounted valve elementpressed against such seat, under yielding spring pressure, when the capis so engaged with the filler neck. Ideally, the spring which so pressesthe valve against such seat is calibrated to hold the valve in sealingengagement with its seat so long as the pressure within the system doesnot exceed a predetermined value, but to yield whenever the pressureexceeds that value to prevent the accumulation of excessive pressurewithin the system. Since the cooling efficiency of any such system isoptimum when the system is operated under the pressure for which thatsystem is designed, it is obvious that if the cap spring becomesweakened or if the valve for any other reason permits the escape ofpressure, the efficiency of the system will be lowered. Obviously, evenminor leaks in such a pressurized system may be very important.

Thus, it is known that such systems should be frequently tested forleakage and that the caps for such systems, which, in effect, act assafety valves, should be frequently tested for leakage and for properpressure calibration.

The attachment assembly of the present disclosure is designed forconvenient, effective and accurate use with any conventional automobilecooling system and With the caps designed for use with such systems. Theprimary objects of the invention are to facilitate the application of apressure tester to, and the use of a pressure tester with, coolingsystems and caps of various constructions.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the descriptionproceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention maybe embodied in the forms illustrated in the accompanying drawings,attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings areillustrative only, and that change may be made in the specificconstructions illustrated and described, so long as the scope of theappended claims is not violated.

3,035,436 Patented May 22, 1962 FIG. 1 is an elevation of a testerconstructed in accordance with the present invention, in operativeassociation with a fragment of a conventional automobile radiator fillerneck, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section forclarity of illustration;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged bottom plan view of a baffle plate preferably usedin the present attachment assembly;

FIG. 3 is a section taken substantially on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the stem element of the attachmentassembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an elevation of an adapter designed for use with the testerdisclosed herein;

FIG. 6 is a section through such an adapter, showing the attachmentassembly of FIG. 1 and a closure cap operatively assembled therewith;

FIG. 7 is an elevation of a modified form of attachment assembly, partlyin section;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an element of the assembly of FIG. 7;and

FIG. 9 is a fragmental view partly in section, showing the attachmentassembly of FIG. 7 with its parts in a different position of adjustment.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 to 4, it will be seen that theillustrated tester comprises a pump indicated generally by the referencenumeral 10, an accumulator fitting indicated generally by the referencenumeral 11, a flexible conduit 12 and an attachment unit or assemblyindicated generally by the reference numeral 13. The assembly 13 isconstructed and arranged for cooperative attachment to the filler neck14 of a conventional automobile radiator 15, and is also associable, ina manner and for a purpose later to be described, with either end of anadapter fitting indicated generally by the reference numeral 16 (FIGS. 5and 6).

The pump 10 comprises a cylindrical tubular bod member 17 one end ofwhich is semi-permanently closed by a cap 18. The other end of thecylinder carries the accumulator chamber 11 and the pump may be operatedby a handle 25, all as described in my said copending application.

A nipple 47 at the one end of the flexible conduit 12, which may be apiece of rubber hose, provides a suitable connection between said hoseand the discharge end of pump 10. A similar nipple 48 at the other endof the hose is designed to be threadedly received in one end 49 of atubular stem 54 having an enlarged head 51 at its opposite end. Asshown, a spider 52 integrally spans the passage through the stem 50,projecting beyond the distal face of the head 51 to center an annulargasket 53 which is adapted to bear against such distal head surface. Ascrew 54 penetrates a perforation 55 in a baffle plate 56 and enters athreaded central bore in the spider 52 to secure the gasket 53 and theplate 56 in place on the stem 50.

conventionally, the filler neck 14 of an automobile radiator 15 isformed to provide at its outermost end a lip 57 definingdiametrically-opposite, peripheral cam surfaces 58, and such a neck alsoprovides a seat 59 axially spaced from the lip 57. An overflow pipe 60usually communicates with the neck 14 between a seat 61 at the outermostend of the neck, and the seat 59.

A cap-like element 62 is mounted on the stem 50 for rotational and axialadjustment relative thereto and comprises a hub portion 63 closelysurrounding the stem and a rim portion 64 radially spaced from the stem.Fingers 65, are secured to the rim portion 64 by means of screws 66, orother suitable fastening means, at diametrically spaced points forcooperative engagement with the cammed surfaces 58 of the lip 57. Theparts are so proportioned and designed that, when the gasket 53 isseated on the seat 59, the fingers 65 may be engaged with said camsurface 58 to secure the element 62 to the filler neck 14, thereby,through a coiled spring 67 confined between the element 62 and the head51, pressing the gasket 53 into sealing engagement with the seat 59.Now, when the pump is actuated, air will be pumped into the vehicle cooling system and will be prevented from escape therefrom by the engagementof the gasket 53 with the seat 59, so that pressure of any desired valuecan be built up in the cooling system, the pressure being readable onthe illustrated gauge.

It is desirable, of course, to prevent liquid in the system fromsplashing into the tubular stem 50, and therefore I prefer to use thebathe plate 56 a means for securing the gasket 53 to the head 51. As ismost clearly illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, said plate is formed todefine rim portions 68 which lie in a common plane and are pressed, bythe screw 54, against the outer surface of the gasket 53. A central,raised portion 69 defines a chamber 70 which is in open communicationwith the interior of the tubular stem through the spider ports; andraised tunnel or channel portions 71, communicating with the chamber 70and extending radially therefrom, direct air supplied through the hose12 substantially horizontally into the radiator 15, instead ofpermitting jets of air to be directed against the surface of liquid inthe radiator.

The adapter 16 (FIGS. and 6) comprises a cylindrical body 75 formed withan open passage 76 therethrough, said passage being interrupted by aseat 77 facing one end 78 of the adapter and by a seat 79 facing theopposite end 80 of the adapter. The seat 77 is axially spaced from theadapter end 78 by a distance which is equivalent to the distance betweenthe seat 59 and the seat 61 of one conventional form of automobileradiator filler neck, while the seat 79 is axially spaced from theadapter end 80 by a distance which is substantially equal to thedistance between the inner and outer seats of another conventional formof filler neck. These two filler neck forms are known in the trade asshort neck and long neck radiators; and separate cap forms, suitablydimensioned, are conventionally supplied for cooperation with suchseparate neck forms. In FIG. 6, I have shown a short neck" type ofconventional cap, assembled with the adapter 16 and with the attachmentassembly 13, in position to be tested. Cam surfaces 81 are provided onthe body 75 adjacent the adapter end 78 to be engaged by the fingers 82of such a conventional cap 83; and the parts are so proportioned andarranged that, when the cap is turned down on the adapter end '78, thegasket 84 of the cap 83 will be resiliently pressed against the seat 77by the cap spring 85. It will be apparent that the association of thegasket 84 with the seat 77 will be in all respects analogous to theassociation of that gasket with the internal filler neck seat when thesame cap is mounted on a short neck radiator.

The opposite end of the adapter is provided with similar cam surfaces87; and the fingers 65 of the attachment assembly 13 may be engaged withthose cam surfaces to assemble the tester with the capped adapter. Whenso assembled, the gasket 53 will be pressed against the seat 79 by thespring 67. Now, if the pump is actuated, air will be pumped into thespace between the seats 77 and 79 to create a pressure which may bedirectly read on the illustrated gauge. If the cap 83 is a 7-pound cap,the pump will be actuated until the gauge shows an accumulation of 7pounds pressure within the adapter; and if the gauge does not fall, whenoperation of the pump is discontinued, it will have been demonstratedthat the cap spring 85 has not become so weakened, and the gasket 84 hasnot become so worn or damaged, as to render the cap unsatisfactory foruse. If, however, the pressure does fall, it will have been demonstratedthat the cap 83 should be discarded.

If the pressure does not fall, the pump will be further actuated to pumpmore air into the adapter. If the pressure gauge continues to rise to avalue substantially above 7 pounds before the gasket 84 is forced offits scat, it will have been demonstrated that the cap 83 is not theproper cap for use in a 7 pound pressurized cooling system; and that capshould be discarded, since its continued use in a 7 pound system wouldbe dangerous.

If a long neck" cap is to be tested, of course, the assembly 13 will bemounted on the end 78 of the body 75, and the cap to be tested will bemounted on the end thereof. Since the spring 67 must necessarily bequite heavy, it has been found that it is difiicult to mount theassembly 13 on the end 73 of the body 75 or on a short neck type ofradiator, since the spring 67 must be quite substantially compressed inthat operation. To obviate that dilficulty, I have devised a modifiedform of attachment assembly which is illustrated in F165. 7, 8 and 9.

In the latter form of assembly, a hollow stem 90 is formed to provide anenlarged head 91 and a gasket 93 is supported on the distal face of thathead through the medium of a bafiie plate 96 and a screw 94 taking intoa spider carried by that head, like the bafile plate 56, screw 54 andspider 52 of FIGS. 1 to 4. The opposite end of the stem is internallythreaded as at 97 for reception of the nipple 48.

Adjacent the head 91, the stem 90 is formed with an enlarged section 98formed to define a first abutment surface 99 and a second abutmentsurface 100 facing toward the first-named end of the stem. The surfaces99 and 100 are angularly spaced from each other and a barrier element101, projecting toward the upper end of the stem, is interposed betweensaid surfaces. Preferably, but not necessarily, the section 98 furtheraffords a surface 103 coplanar with the surface 99 and a barrier 102like the barrier 101 is interposed between the surfaces 100 and 103; anda further abutment surface (not shown) coplanar with the surface 100will be provided at a point diametrically spaced from the surface 100with the barriers, only one of which, 104, is illustrated, interposedbetween said coplanar surface and the surfaces 99 and 103.

A cap-like element 105 is rotationally and axially adjustably mounted onthe stem 90 and includes a hub portion 106 which closely surrounds thestem and a rim portion 115 radially spaced from the stem and carryingfingers 114 like the fingers 65.

The hub portion 106 is formed to provide an axially extending finger 107which is adapted selectively to bear upon the abutment surface 99 orupon the abutment surface 100. The finger 107 is flanked by sockets 108and 109 which, when the finger bears upon the surface 100, will receivebarriers 102 and 101, respectively. Preferably, but not necessarily, thehub portion 106 defines abutment surfaces 110 and 111 which rest,respectively, upon the surfaces 99 and 103 when the finger 107 bearsupon the surface 100. If the section 98 is symmetrical, as abovedescribed, a finger similar to the finger 107 and flanked by socketssimilar to the sockets 108 and 109, will be provided at a positiondiametrically opposite the position of the finger 107.

A light spring 112 will preferably be confined between the member 105and a washer 113 to hold the parts against rattling.

The parts are so proportioned and designed that, when the finger 107bears against the abutment surface 99, and when the fingers 114 areengaged with the cam surfaces 87 of the adapter 16, the gasket 93 willbe firmly pressed against the shoulder 79; and when the finger 107 bearsagainst the abutment surface 100, engagement of the fingers 114 with thecam surfaces 81 of the adapter 16 will press the gasket firmly againstthe shoulder 77.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a tubular stem having aradially-enlarged head at one end, a spider fixedly spanning the passagethrough said stem at the exposed face of said head, an annular gasketsurrounding said spider and seated on said head face, a plate bearing onthe exposed face of said gasket and cooperating therewith to define aradially-directed passage opening from the interior of said stem, ascrew penetrating said plate and threadedly engaging said spider, acap-like fitting loosely sleeved on said stem, and unidirectionalaxialforce transmitting means between said cap-like fitting and saidstem.

2. The device of claim 1 in which said plate comprises rim portionsdisposed substantially in a common plane for engagement with saidexposed gasket face, a central portion offset from said plane anddefining a chamber communicating with said stem passage, and at leastone tunnel portion opening from said chamber through said rim portions.

3. The device of claim 1 in which said force transmitting means is acoiled spring sleeved on said stem and confined between said cap-likefitting and said head.

4. In a device of the class described, a tubular stem having aradially-enlarged head adjacent one end, an annular gasket coaxiallyseated on the distal face of said head, and a cap-like fitting mountedon said stem for rotational and axial adjustment of said fittingrelative to said stem, said fitting having a hub portion closelysurrounding said stem'and a rim portion provided with engaging meansradially spaced from said stem, said stem and said fitting hub portionbeing provided with mutuallyengageable, stepped abutment means soproportioned and arranged that, in one position of rotational adjustmentof said fitting relative to said stem, said engaging means is located ata predetermined axial distance from said gasket and in another positionof such rotational adjustment said engaging means is located at agreater axial distance from said gasket.

5. In a device of the class described, a tubular stem having aradially-enlarged head adjacent one end, an annular gasket coaxiallyseated on the distal face of said head, a cap-like fitting mounted onsaid stem for rotational and axial adjustment relative thereto, abutmentmeans carried by said stem and providing a first abutment surface facingtoward the other end of said stem and axially spaced a predetermineddistance from said head and a second abutment surface facing toward saidother stem end, peripherally offset from said first abutment surface andaxially spaced a different distance from said head, and a fingerprojecting in an axial direction from said fitting and engageablealternatively with said abutment surfaces to limit selectively theapproach of said fitting toward said head.

6. The device of claim 5 including barrier means interposed between saidfirst and second abutment surfaces and projecting toward said other stemend beyond both of said abutment surfaces.

7. The device of claim 6 including spring means resiliently urging saidfitting toward said head.

8. The device of claim 5 including spring means resiliently urging saidfitting toward said head.

No references cited.

